


Perfect Excuse

by kwueenie



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24588094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kwueenie/pseuds/kwueenie
Summary: An unofficial investigation into a string of fires turns dangerous for the PI and his partner.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 64





	Perfect Excuse

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys - still trying to figure this site out, but I thought I would start out with this showstopper. I hope you'll enjoy it. Miggy-ending if you squint really hard. Overall shameless whump, just the way I like it.  
> /kwueenie.

“Are you absolutely sure, this is the place, Magnum?” Higgins asked a bit hesitant as the private investigator parked the Ferrari outside an old, abandoned warehouse.

“You’re asking me? Aren’t you the one looking at the screen with the blinking red dot?” Magnum asked back, partly in jest, though he felt hesitant himself. He was sure he had tagged the right car with the small GPS.  
The pair was currently working a string of small but very damaging fires. Mostly it was old houses or small-scale shops destined to be torn down. They hadn’t exactly been hired by anyone, Magnum had just completely by chance seen some photos of the most current fire on Katsumoto’s desk and inquired about it.  
Somehow their off-the-books investigation had led them to a respected family man, a father of four with a questionable background. Questionable in the form of non-existent until he magically appeared on the island twelve years ago when he had married a beautiful local woman.  
When Magnum had looked up the fires and asked around at the fire stations, he had read more than two dozen files that had similar characteristics. That’s when he had brought Higgins in on his little side project. After multiple cross-references and dead-ends, they had a vague connection to Jared Parker, the man they were currently following.  
He worked part-time in a small extermination firm, doing secretarial and accounting work. His wife was a nurse in a retirement home and their four kids were all in public school. They had two girls aged nine and five and a set of twin boys aged seven. Their total income wasn’t big, but somehow the family had sufficient funds to live in a nice home in a good neighborhood.

“And the dot says, this is where he spends roughly two hours a day, since you tagged his car, four days ago,” Higgins countered and double checked the data again.

“This doesn’t match with the other fires… it’s too big,” Magnum said and looked around the somewhat deserted area. He counted no more than half a dozen parked cars on the street and even less people.

“Unless he isn’t scoping it as his next target,” Higgins said as she continued to tap away on her laptop, stealing a glance at the building ever now and then. “It’s an old storage warehouse, cleared out fifteen years ago. It was used to auction off freshly caught fish. According to the blueprints there’s a handful of offices in the back on the main floor,” she continued.

“Alright, let’s go check it out,” Magnum suggested and retrieved a weapon from under the seat. Higgins closed and hid the laptop and seconds later she was following him towards the nearest door.  
The fires they were looking into had been arson, though hard to prove with no consistent evidence. Even the firefighters thought this a hard nut to crack. A couple of them had small traces of accelerant while others were made to look like electrical fires.  
Magnum eased the door open quietly. The place should be empty, as the GPS currently showed Jared Parker was at home, but one could never be too careful. Higgins followed him inside, instinctively putting a few yards between them as they made their way to the back.  
They could make out the loading bays and a couple of walk-in-freezers in the corner. Clearly, no one had been here a while except for a few squatters, possibly, and kids with spray paint. The whole place was damp and smelled musty.  
As Magnum reached the first door of the three visible, he paused briefly to listen for any sounds. Not hearing anything, he turned the doorknob and walked inside. It was an old office space, with a couple of desks stacked up against the wall, freeing the carpeted floor. The outer walls windows were covered in old browned newspaper, so the room was dimly lit by the sun.  
Higgins walked to the other side and checked the room on the left. She was visibly repelled when she opened the door and closed it again quickly.

“Mr. Parker definitely didn’t come here to borrow the lavatory,” she said and almost shuddered. Magnum caught a whiff of what she meant, as he strolled to the second of the two doors and pushed it open.

“You were right. He wasn’t casing the place either,” he said and carefully walked in. Higgins followed, her eyes scanning the shelves and tables filled with all kinds of electronics and different containers and bags of who knows what.

“This is his work station. Look at all this… flammable, explosive,” she said as she inspected one of the shelves before something in the corner caught her eyes. “That’s literally a powder keg right next to a gallon of petrol and a gas cylinder,” she said and involuntarily backed up a few steps.  
Magnum had walked straight to the workbench in the middle of the room for closer inspection. Wires and tools for electrical work were strewn all over the surface but the thing his eyes picked out in the dim light were downright frightening. A handful of blasting caps littered looked to be carelessly left on the table. He picked one up to let Higgins see.

“I think we need to call Katsumoto,” he said before the door behind him closed and almost made him jump and reach for his weapon. Higgins was already reaching for her phone when she spotted the small blinking light coming from a panel next to the hinges of the door.

“Magnum, look, is that a…” she asked before Magnum suddenly rushed forward.

“Timer! Less than a minute,” he yelled out, confirming her suspicions as he reached for the doorknob. Higgins felt panic in the pit of her stomach, when the door didn’t budge and Magnum tried to kick at the lock.

“Magnum, stop! That’s of no use,” she said before she ran to the door opposite and tried the handle with no luck. Both doors turned inward, which gave them no real leverage and they were entirely too thick and heavy to open with brute force only.  
Magnum ran to the covered-up window and tore some of the faded newspaper down only to find bars on the outside of the glass. Next, he turned his gaze upwards to the ceiling, hoping for a way out, before Higgins called out.  
“Over here,” she said frantically as she pushed the workbench to the side to reveal a small trapdoor in the floor. Magnum flung it open and seeing the shiny metal stairs he none to gently pushed Higgins down the hole and followed not a second too soon. The explosion was deafening, white-hot and core-shuddering. The whole building shook with the force of it and the destruction was massive.  
The private investigator and the majordomo tumbled ungracefully down the stairs, propelled by gravity and the shockwave. Fortunately, the stairs consisted of no more than twelve steps down to a hard surface. Unfortunately, neither of them was conscious when they landed in a heap and rubble came down on top of them.

The massive explosion in a warehouse downtown saw all of HPD out on the street. Firefighters were already battling the huge monster of flames coming from every crack and crevice in the building. Katsumoto had seen the black smoke from his desk in the station. It didn’t take long for him to be sent down there, since it clearly wasn’t an accident.  
As he made his way through the firetrucks his eyes fell on an all too familiar red Ferrari and he was immediately annoyed with the private investigator for nudging in on his investigation. Granted, Magnum was good at his job, though he would never admit it out loud, but he had obviously been close by when the explosion had happened, since the Ferrari was right in the middle of the firetrucks, inside the yellow tape. Katsumoto had parked outside the perimeter, because evidently, he was late to the party.  
Katsumoto looked around for the private investigator, thinking he would easily stand out, since every other person in the vicinity were firefighters in full turnout gear. Not spotting him, he sought out the fire chief, standing still with a good vantage point of the whole scene and barking orders into his radio.

“Detective Katsumoto,” he said and held up his badge.

“Chief Bennett,” the fire chief introduced himself and turned his eyes back on the raging fire. “You’re here early, nothing for you to do yet,” he continued, a little puzzled.

“I’m looking for Magnum, thought maybe you’ve seen him?” Katsumoto asked and the fire chief looked at him questioningly so Katsumoto explained further. “The annoying PI you probably had to physically drag outside the line,” Katsumoto tried but Bennett shook his head.

“No civilians have crossed the line, my guys know to keep them outside, safety and all that, you know,” Bennett explained.

“Alright, then why is his car inside the line?” Katsumoto asked and looked to the sportscar, his gut clenching a bit.

“What car? The Ferrari? No, that was here, before us. It’s a shame to park such a nice car so close to the fire. You never know what kind of debris could find its way out here,” Bennett said and Magnum was instantly on edge as he pulled out his phone and started calling. The private investigator might be brave, but risking the wrath of Higgins if the car was scratched, hell no, something was wrong.  
Magnum didn’t answer, the call going straight to voicemail, so he tried Higgins instead. Same result. Landline to Robin’s Nest, no answer. Next up was Rick and thankfully he answered on the second ring.

“ _Gordy, what can I do for you?_ ” Rick said, sounding shipper as ever.

“Please tell me you know where Magnum and Higgins are and that they have a damn good reason for not answering their phones,” Katsumoto said anxiously and earned a questioningly look from the fire chief.

“ _Uh, no, I don’t. Last I heard, they were looking into a suspect on those fires, why? What’s wrong?_ ” Rick asked, already sounding hesitant.

“There’s been an explosion in a warehouse and the Ferrari was here before the firefighters,” the detective told him.

“ _You don’t think they were inside, when it exploded_?” Rick asked and Katsumoto hesitated.

“Chief Bennett, we might have two people inside,” the detective said and heard Rick cuss in his ear. Apparently, it had been all the answer he needed.

“That’s not good. I had to pull my men out before they even reached the backrooms. The fire was too hot, not to mention all the smaller secondary explosions. On top of that, the whole structure is about to collapse,” the fire chief stated and turned his attention to the radio on his shoulder. “Taylor, Palakiko, Dave, get your butts over here, pronto,” he almost roared into the radio.

“Rick, I’ll call you back,” Katsumoto said as three firefighters came around the corner of a truck.

“Chief?” the one in the middle asked.

“We might have two people on the inside,” Bennett said and the guy in the middle shook his head.

“Fire is too dense. If anyone was in there, they probably wouldn’t have survived the initial blast. If they did, the heat and the smoke inhalation would have done them for by now.” Bennett looked at him briefly before looking to the fire and then to Katsumoto.

“I’m sorry, Detective, but right now it sounds more like a recovery and not a rescue. I’m not putting my guys at risk for the vague possibility of people inside,” the chief said and Katsumoto was ready to punch a wall in frustration. Without saying anything, he turned around and redialed Rick.

“ _What’d they say?_ ” the bar owner asked, before Katsumoto could even register the line had connected.

“The fire’s too big, at this point it would be a recovery and they won’t risk anything without proof that they’re in there,” the detective said with a helpless sigh and ran a hand over his face.

“ _Alright, Gordon, tell me – do you think they’re inside?_ ” Risk asked, tense and obviously waiting for a clear answer.

“My gut says they are,” Katsumoto replied heavily.

“ _Okay. I’ll call in a favor and get the ball rolling. TC and I will be there shortly,_ ” Rick said before he hung up and Katsumoto was sort of amazed that he wasn’t more surprised over the fact that Rick knew a guy. He looked back to the raging fire and the heat chased him back towards his car as the beast grew even bigger with another explosion.

As Magnum regained consciousness, he let out a strangled cough and twitched faintly. His whole body was screaming in agony and his breathing was coming in short puffs. He was lying face down amidst the fallen boulders of stone and cement, completely covered in a fine layer of grey dust. He swiped at his eyes, obviously irritated by the finely ground particles.  
He coughed again and realized two things. One, his left shoulder was nothing but an even worse stabbing pain at every little movement. Two, he was extremely uncomfortable lying across the tiny frame that was Higgins, covering most of her back with his own body.

“’-ns…” he croaked out and cringed at the unpleasant, smokey taste in the back of his mouth. It dawned upon him, that his hearing was muffled and his words were drowned out by a roaring above him. He coughed and shouted in pain as he found all his strength to do a crawl-roll off of Higgins’ back.  
It took him a minute to compose himself and get his breathing under control, without his vision blacking out and as he stared at the point above him, where a ceiling should have been, he grasped the whole concept of being blown to hell.  
Above him was nothing but a gaping hole to the floor above, most of the ceiling was now covering the floor. Further up, he could see nothing but flames and thick black smoke, trapped underneath the sad remnants of what was once the roof of the warehouse.  
Luckily, no flames were too close to them, but the temperature was still unbearably high. The air around them were clouded with dust and falling ashes and every once in a while, he could feel small embers singing the exposed skin on his arms and face.  
“Higgy, come on,” he said, still sounding hoarse, as he gave her nearest arm a slight nudge. No reaction. Magnum grabbed his left arm and held it tight to his chest as he fought to sit up to get a better look at his friend. The pain from his shoulder threatened to send him back to the floor but he soldiered through it with grinding teeth. He was a SEAL after all, he should be able to handle a bit of pain. Deep breaths, however, was currently impossible.  
Being somewhat upright presented him with another problem. Blood had soaked through his clothes around his right hip, just below the waistline of his jeans. He couldn’t feel any pain from what he realized was a puncture wound with the offending object still lodged in him at a shallow angle.  
It was a piece of bent rebar with about two inches visible. His stomach churned at the thought of how long the piece was. Thankfully, it wasn’t protruding from his back and his knowledge of medical care convinced him to leave it in. He turned his attention back to Higgins.  
She was white as a ghost, thanks to the thick layer of dust. He grabbed her wrist and to his relief he found her pulse strong and steady underneath his trembling fingers. Looking over her still body, he found nothing dangerously life-threatening, but still he wasn’t sure about rolling her over, fearing possible spinal injury.  
“Juliet, come on, open your eyes for me,” he coaxed again and this time padded her lightly on her cheek. His ears popped and the muffled sensation dissipated slowly. He could now distinguish the sounds behind the roaring of the flames. Wailing sirens had never sounded so amazing to his ringing ears.  
“Come on, Jules, wake up,” he said, this time a little louder, spurred on by the sound of hope from outside. She stirred quietly and woke much like Magnum had done minutes earlier.

“Aaah,” she groaned and coughed, holding the palm of her hand to her forehead before wiping feebly at her eyes and coughing again.

“Right there with you,” Magnum tried to joke and she lifted her unfocused eyes to him. “Before you say anything, you should know you look just as bad as me,” he continued between his short breaths. Higgins actually had the audacity to roll her eyes at him, which he counted as a good sign.

“Wha’ hap’nd?” she asked and gingerly pushed herself up to look around the completely destroyed room with a furnace on top.

“Walked into a bomb maker’s lair,” he explained shortly. The pain and not breathing alright, was more tiring than he thought it would be. And with the fire above them the air was already getting thin. Higgins looked at him, worry and fear evident in her eyes. She coughed again and grimaced.

“Damage?” she asked, referring to his injuries.

“Busted shoulder, breathing not good, and I think I knocked a few marbles loose,” Magnum answered and closed his eyes for a second. “And this,” he said and lifted his arm from where it had rested, so she could see his impalement problem. “Bleeding’s not that bad actually,” he explained when he saw her eyebrows come together in worry. Shaking her head, she checked her phone, but tossed it aside when she realized it was crushed.

“Give me your phone,” she said and nudged his knee. Magnum dug around in his back pocket and handed it to her. The screen lighting up, was the best thing the two of them had seen all day. Higgins’s hope fell, when she didn’t spot any signal bars.  
“We need to find a way out,” she said more clearly, but still coarser than sandpaper. “Don’t move too much.” Carefully, she got to her feet and staggered a few steps towards the other wall and held the phone up. A bar appeared and she climbed the boulder in front of her. The heat was hell, but she gained two full bars and could almost laugh as she toggled through the list of contacts and made the call, she hoped would save their lives.

“ _Magnum, where the hell are you?_ ” Katsumoto’s voice squawked and Higgins coughed before finally answering.

“Gordon, we’re trapped in a basement under the middle backroom on the west wall. The door had a timer, suspects name is Jared Parker,” Higgins managed to ground out before a coughing fit had her doubled over. When she looked at the screen again, the call had dropped and she couldn’t find the signal again.

“What’d he say?” Magnum asked and Higgins eased herself down from the boulder and hobbled back to the injured man. He still sounded as hoarse as herself.

“I don’t know… the call dropped,” she replied and looked around. She studied the remnants of the stairs and the boulders surrounding them. If she could place the bottom half of the steps on top of the boulder, leaning them on the wall, they might be able to climb out of their current death pit. As Magnum didn’t reply she glanced towards him and almost felt her stomach drop.  
“Magnum, you have to stay awake,” she said urgently and slapped him gently on the cheek. Thankfully, his eyes fluttered open, but Higgins didn’t like how sluggish they were. “Do not close your eyes, Thomas, you hear me? We won’t have a chance of getting out of here, if I have to carry your sorry arse all the way,” she scolded him and was rewarded with a little huff of laughter.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied and straightened up a bit. Higgins got back to her plan and retrieved the few steps from the stairs. They would be sturdy enough to hold their weight, she thought hopefully as she battled with the boulder to move it a foot closer to the wall and situated the steps. She attempted the climb and though the whole thing felt rickety, she didn’t fall.  
The makeshift ladder only raised her about five feet, but it would have to be enough. Her eyes were almost level with the floor above them. The only problem was if Magnum would be able to climb to the top. The decreasing amount of air was beginning to make itself known as she lowered herself to the ground again. The smoke was irritating her airways and eyes.

“Alright, Magnum, up you go,” she said and all but heaved at his right arm. He cringed, but followed the movement only a bit uncoordinated and when he was upright, he had to lean heavily on Higgins’s shoulder. “Come on, Thomas, you can’t be that heavy,” she said jokingly, though she was beginning to feel really tired. He didn’t have the energy for a comeback.  
Somehow, to Higgins’s later amazement, Magnum was able to climb the stairs and she was strong enough to give him a boost to complete the climb. Higgins joined him only a minute later. In that time, Magnum had managed to get to his feet and was standing awkwardly with his left arm cradled to his body. They were now back in the work-shop where all the dangerous things had been stored.  
Up here, the heat was even more intense, and they had to shield their faces as the flames around them suddenly grew in size. On the positive side, the door they had entered through before the explosion was no longer locked – it had been blown clean off its hinges along with most of the frame.  
A loud, screeching noise from above had both of them look up in time to see part of the roof collapse in. Magnum, suddenly fueled by adrenaline, grabbed Higgins from the floor and hauled her backwards before she could even get to her feet.  
When the roofing sheets smashed into the ground right where they had been only a second earlier, Magnum tripped and collided with the floor. He had managed to drag Higgins halfway back through the front office area with the disgusting toilet. Higgins ended up sprawled across his legs as his vision blackened in the edges and he focused on breathing through it. The pain was retaliating. They lay there for a few seconds, just breathing, before Higgins weakly pushed herself off and promptly collapsed back onto the floor, the lack of oxygen finally getting to her.

“Juliet?” Magnum rasped and was by her side in a flash. He was sure nothing had hit her, they had been far enough away when the roof had landed. He felt for her pulse again, this time it was faint and thready, so he checked her breathing by holding his hand in front of her mouth and nose. It was barely there.

“Detective Katsumoto, you’re not listening to me, at this point it would be a suicide mission to go in there. The whole building is ready to collapse at the slightest breeze,” Chief Bennett argued as the two of them was staring at the blueprints for the building. They were splayed on the hood of his car, lights still flashing and showed no signs of the basement Higgins had mentioned in their brief talk.

“And you’re not listening to us, Chief,” Rick cut in. True to his word, him and TC had been there in ten minutes flat and had argued ever since. “These two people, our friends, have saved more lives than all the firefighters in this state combined,” the bar owner all but yelled. TC had to physically hold Rick back from running into the fire himself, though the thought had crossed his own mind ever since they got there. Ironically they couldn’t even go near the fire, as the heat chased them back.

“I hear you, but it’s simply too dangerous to send people in there. Right now, our priority is on containing the fire, so we won’t lose the whole street,” Bennett explained. As if to prove the chief right, the whole building groaned and shrieked and most of the roof caved in on itself.  
Katsumoto flinched involuntarily and took a step back, much like Rick and TC. The heat was suffocating. Or maybe it was the sheer terror of losing these two people he had come to care about. The rest of the roof followed soon after, only the most outer sheets remaining and Katsumoto felt his blood turn cold in the scorching heat.  
Rick was speechless and motionless right next to him and TC looked like Katsumoto felt. That was until all three of them saw the contorted figure struggling through the smoke. They would later claim that the tears in their eyes was caused by the smoke.

“It can’t be…” Chief Bennett said as he quickly radioed for the EMT’s. Katsumoto, Rick and TC was sprinting towards the shadow to help in any way possible and found Magnum staggering, Higgins draped over his right shoulder and his left arm hanging uselessly at his side.  
The private detective was covered in dust and ashes and he was sporting a mustache of soot under his nose. Both of his arms were covered in smaller burns and his shirt was charred under the grime and filth. To top it all off, the wound had started bleeding profusely under the strain. His eyes were fastened on the ground in front of him, focusing on taking one step at the time and he barely noticed his friends as they came closer.

“TM, let go, I’ve got her, man,” TC said as he freed the smaller man of his precious cargo. Higgins seemed to become even smaller in TC’s arms and her slight frame was completely lax. TC had his arms under her knees and around her back in a split second, her arms and head having a life of their own.  
Katsumoto was quick to crawl under Magnum’s right arm and support the man, who was barely clinging onto conscious. If his mind hadn’t been so preoccupied, he was pretty sure the sight of the rebar would have made his breakfast do a reappearance.

“Medic! Over here,” Rick called as he hovered near Magnum, should he decide to pass out completely. He didn’t dare touch the clearly injured left arm, unless absolutely necessary.

“No, Jules… not breathing…” Magnum managed to rasp out, wild determination in his eyes, and Rick hustled to catch up with TC who had jogged ahead. “Help her,” he said again before faltering his steps and Katsumoto had to hoist more of his weight upon his shoulder.

“You’re doing good, Magnum, almost there,” the detective said as they approached the awaiting gurney. Magnum, however, didn’t make it that far before his head lolled to the side and his legs buckled. “No, no, no, Thomas, wake up, damnit,” he urged and his worried tone along with the use of his first name, had Rick and a medic, along with two firefighters, running for the two men to help out.  
TC was hovering next to Higgins on the gurney, where three other medics where currently working on her. Her vital signs were really bad along with her airways and a probable concussion. As soon as he had lowered her to the gurney, he had found her hand and couldn’t let go, probably not even for the life of him.  
TC glanced anxiously between her and Magnum, who was now surrounded and out of sight. The private investigator had been maneuvered onto a backboard and like Higgins, he was equipped with oxygen and an IV.

“Sir, we’ve got to load her up,” one of the medics said and TC nodded, unable to form a response right away.

“Rick?!” he called out, gaining the attention of the person called, his voice conveying what was important. Split up, stay safe.

“Go!” came the response and the meaning behind the one word. We’ve got him, keep me updated. Plans made on the fly, like they were used to while in the service.  
Not soon after TC was crammed into the back of an ambulance, still clinging onto Higgins’s hand, and they were racing towards the hospital.

TC was sitting in the waiting area, elbows on knees and bouncing his leg, when Rick and Katsumoto trudged through the door, looking very much crestfallen and stunned into shock. He arched his eyebrows in question, afraid his voice would betray him if he spoke.

“Surgery, shoulder,” Rick only explained as Katsumoto sunk into a chair opposite them.

“They had to intubate her in the ambulance,” TC said and rubbed the back of his neck. He was positive both Rick and Katsumoto swore quietly. “Kumu’s on the way back, she’ll be here in a few hours,” he told them and leaned back in the chair. They all fell silent, except for Katsumoto’s phone that buzzed every now and then with messages and calls he declined. An hour passed before a nurse approached them and took a seat before the three men had even registered her.

“Thomas and Juliet will both be fine with time and good care,” she said with a warm smile and the tension from the guys visibly lifted as they all breathed a sigh of relief.

“And the run-down?” Rick asked.

“Well, Juliet is back to breathing on her own. Her smoke inhalation will make her uncomfortable for the next week. Right now, our main concern is the concussion. We’re monitoring her closely. She’s being cleaned up and once she’s set up, you can go sit with her,” the nurse said and continued. “Thomas’ surgery went well. He suffered a shattered scapula and three broken ribs, along with the puncture wound on his hip. Though it didn’t do much damage, he did lose a lot of blood. We’re monitoring him for any kind infection, because of his low white blood cell count. He also got some smaller burns on his skin and a mild concussion. It will be another few hours, before you can see him,” she explained. “I’ll come get you, when we have Juliet settled,” she said and left just as quietly as she had arrived.

The first thing that filtered through the grogginess was quiet talking from familiar warm voices, though they were all jumbled together. Next, the head splitting pain was back, pulsing through her. The voices disappeared but was replaced with a big hand on her arm.

“Juliet, don’t try to talk. Everything is fine, you’re in the hospital,” Rick said as her other hand was grabbed. She opened her eyes to find TC on one side and Rick on the other, with Kumu hovering behind his shoulder. The older woman had clearly been crying, which was of much worry to Juliet. She parted her lips and tasted the smoke as her throat tightened. She cringed and suddenly there was a small cup being held to her lips and the gratefully accepted the delicious water, though it was hard to swallow.

“Small sips, Higgy-baby,” TC said quietly and she cleared her throat. “Do you remember what happened? Just shake your head yes or no,” TC asked and Juliet nodded softly, not needing a prompt to remember the hell she had just been through, courtesy of Jared Parker. What she didn’t remember, was how they got out.

“Thomas?” she croaked, barely above a whisper, worried that the boys hadn’t mentioned him yet and why they were all sitting with her. Surely, they would have made up a rotation.

“You know him, he’ll bounce back,” Rick said and sort of brushed her off. Higgins wasn’t fooled and she narrowed her eyes at the man.

“How bad?” she asked adamantly. Rick hesitated a moment before briefly looking to TC who just shrugged.

“Broken bones, blood loss, concussion and some kind of infection the doctors caught early. He’s in the ICU, no visitors allowed. Gordon’s up there, pacing a hole in the floor, trying to use his badge to gain access,” the bar owner finally said. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

“He got us out, didn’t he?” she asked, remembering the last minutes of their escape from the hole, how she had suddenly been pulled back as the roof collapsed. Maybe his surge of adrenalin had continued after she had blacked out. Rick looked to TC again and she followed his gaze to the pilot who nodded.

“Man, I know it takes a special man to become a SEAL, but that was…” he trailed off, not finding the adequate words to describe what they had seen.

“Something else,” Rick supplied and TC nodded quietly in awe. Rick looked to Juliet again and explained as her brow had furrowed in confusion. “The building was coming down and the fire chief couldn’t send his people inside. Then, just as we thought the worst, Magnum stalks out, with you on the shoulder, more concerned about you, than I’ve ever seen him before,” Rick said, not hiding his amazement.  
It almost took the breath from Juliet and she had to close her eyes and clench a fist to make sure the prickling in her eyes didn’t develop to fully grown tears. She barely noticed that she slipped back to fitful sleep.

On day four, Juliet found herself sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chair next to the foot Thomas’s bed. Her feet were propped onto the edge of the bed and soft blanket, which Kumu had brought, was draped over legs. Thomas hadn’t woken up at all, besides a couple of fever induced nightmarish moments, that had both Rick and TC greying prematurely. The fever had broken yesterday morning and by last night he was out of the ICU and Juliet had been in the chair since.  
She hadn’t been doing much but looking at the still form of the private investigator or resting her eyes, telling herself she wasn’t completely exhausted. Thomas was sporting multiple bandages on both arms and the left one was tied to his chest, to prevent any movement from jarring through his shoulder. Rick and TC had been very insistent on staying but she had, with good conscience, guilted them all into letting her stay alone. Kumu and Katsumoto had been regular visitors as well, and both of them had showed concern for Juliet’s health.  
A faint rustle startled her halfway awake, but she hardly reacted before hearing the voice she had realized she needed in her life. Which was also why she had refused to leave the room. It had dawned upon her, when she had been released on day two, that she couldn’t leave Thomas. Although, knowing that both TC and Rick would be close by, she couldn’t get herself to step outside the hospital doors. How could she leave him? In that moment she knew she wanted, no, needed to be the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes again.

“Hey,” Thomas muttered hoarsely and Juliet’s head snapped up so quickly it twitched her still aching muscles. Her eyes locked on to his tired ones with a warm smile.

“Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?” she asked as she moved from the chair to perch on the edge of the bed. She barely registered the blanket falling to the floor.

“Like a building fell on me,” he had the clarity to joke about before he grew serious again. The quip had earned him a smile from the majordomo and he uncoordinatedly reached for her hand, hoping his drug induced mind wasn’t currently on a wild rampage. He needed her to know. “I’m so glad to see you, Juliet,” he said and continued. “I thought, I lost you back there… I’ve never been so scared in my life,” he admitted and faltered for a moment. “Juliet, I-“ he let out a shaky breath and cringed a little as his ribs complained. Juliet hesitated a second before she nodded, giving his fingers a small squeeze, a promise. She could see he was on the verge of slipping back to sleep.

“I know, Thomas. Let’s save this talk to another day. Get some rest now, I’ll be here when you wake up,” she said, giving his weak fingers another squeeze. It didn’t take much convincing as he nodded vaguely and closed his eyes. Juliet let go of her own shaky breath and dabbed at her eye before pulling the uncomfortable plastic chair closer and prepared herself for the wait, all this without letting go of Thomas.

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all tips on the spacing would be helpful!  
> The titles of my works might seem connected, but they're all stand-alone. Enjoy.  
> Let me know, if you have any request for future works - I'm fairly openminded.


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